Symphony for a Quartet
by Lady Lashana
Summary: AU Based on the book Mad Maudlin and a dream I had. A girl who is a fledging Bard runs away from a foster home and goes to NYC, making a living playing her violin. She becomes friends with Ace and Jaycie, and later Magnus when he appears. Please r & r!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I lately read the book _Mad Maudlin_ by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill. Two days after reading it, I had a dream where I was involved in the book as a friend to Ace, Magnus, and Jaycie. I cannot play the violin in real life, (I can only play the piano), and my name is not really Elaine Meng. However, in my dream, I made a living by busking with a violin, and I also several years younger than my age now. Anyway, this dream inspired me to write a fic based somewhat on it. Besides, I noticed that the Mercedes Lackey section mainly has fics based on Valdemar and the Velgarth universe in general, and doesn't have many fics on the other series Lackey wrote or collaborated on. The character Elaine Meng doesn't resemble me in any way other than the fact that she is Chinese-American, has glasses, is a Christian, and enjoys reading, mainly fantasy.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Mad Maudlin_ or any of the other books in the Bedlam Bard series. It belongs to the wonderful author Mercedes Lackey and her excellent collaborators, Ellen Guon and Rosemary Edghill.

Elaine Meng slipped out the Drake home with her backpack, violin, sleeping bag, and a knapsack containing some underthings, a bottle of water, and some food. She was not going to stay at the foster home any longer. She had managed to get away from Mr. Drake, thanks to the fact that she'd taken karate lessons and knew some other methods of self-defense. However, she was under no illusions that she could escape him a second time, for he would probably make sure that she couldn't fight back before trying to have his way with her. And this time, he'd make sure Mrs. Drake was out, not just in the back yard.

She wheeled out her bicycle, which had a basket in front and a crate attatched to the back. The sleeping bag and violin case was put in the crate and a tarp tied over it all to keep it from getting wet. The knapsack was put in the basket, next to the lock and chain for her bicycle, and a poncho was thrown over it. Elaine then shouldered her backpack, which contained the Bible, four of her favorite paperback books, a folder of music, a notebook, some clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, a Swiss Army knife, hairbrush, three pens, and a photo of her parents. With that, she silently pedaled away into the night.

When dawn came, Elaine made her way to a wooded area and stopped to rest. She drank some water and ate a cereal bar, then began planning where to go. New York City wasn't that far away from Newark, which was the city nearest to the suburb she lived in, and it would be difficult for her to be found. She could hide out there for a year and two months until she turned eighteen and could claim the inheritance her parents left her. Then she'd finish high school and use the money to go to Julliard, or perhaps attend college if Julliard didn't work out.

With that decided, Elaine took out her sleeping bag and slept until noon. When she woke up, she set off again, this time heading for the Big Apple. As Newark was approximately five miles away from Manhattan, it only took her about two hours to reach New York City. After getting a map and guide book, she had an apple and a sandwich from her knapsack and then tried to figure out where to stay. Also, she had to arrange to get a busking license. She had over fifty thousand dollars in her bank account, but she didn't want to spend it, as it could tip off to the authorities where she was. As she refused to break the Eighth Commandment and steal, the only way she would be able to survive on the streets was to play her violin to make money.

Elaine got on the subway and ended up in the St. John's area. She really didn't know why she headed there, other than the fact that she had a feeling that she would find someplace to stay, even if it was only temporarily. She walked around with her bike and stopped in front of a building off 110th. It was abandoned, like the several abandoned buildings she had seen in the Lower East Side on her last visit to New York City with her parents, which was three months ago. After examining the place, she saw that the doors were chained shut and most of the windows were closed, but one window on the second floor and next to the fire escape was open. She chained and locked her bike to the fire escape around the side of the building.

A girl of Elaine's age, bundled up, a hat pulled down over her hair, and carrying a full backpack and several grocery bags appeared. "What are you doing here?" demanded the girl when she saw Elaine, coming to a stop.

"I ran away from my foster home and was looking for a place to stay," responded Elaine. "I came across this building. Do you live here? If you do, can I stay here? I promise I won't be a bother. Oh, and my name is Elaine."

"I'm Ace," said the other girl warily. "I guess you can stay here for awhile. There's some other kids living here too. And you're a girl? No offense, but with your hair short like that and the non-feminine clothing, you could be taken for a boy."

"I know," said Elaine. Her instincts told her that Ace was nice and a trustworthy person, so she had decided to be on friendly terms with Ace. "I'm not going to lie about my name or gender, since God doesn't like lying, but I thought it would be best if I gave people the impression that I'm a boy. Girls attract things that a boy might not attract."

Ace blinked. "Okay. Get your things and follow me, then."

Elaine attatched her sleeping bag to the bottom of her backpack, slung the knapsack over one arm, and picked up her violin. "Let me carry one or two of your grocery bags, Ace."

Ace looked surprised. "But you've got your own things to carry, Elaine."

"I've got a free hand," replied Elaine, reaching out and taking a grocery bag. "Besides, my things aren't all that heavy."

The two girls went up the fire escape to the open second-story window and climbed in. Then they went up the stairs to the fourth floor. Ace handed out the stuff she'd bought and said, "We've got someone new joining us."

One of the girls exclaimed, "Oh, a boy! That's great! What's your name?"

"Elaine," answered Elaine. "And I'm a girl."

Another girl muttered, "Well, she's not a very pretty one then. Those clothes and short hair make her look like a boy."

Elaine chose not to answer to it and instead followed Ace to a corner. "Here, you can share this space with me and Jaycie," said Ace. A teenage boy with long black hair and a very pale face slowly sat up from a sleeping bag. He was bundled up in several layers of clothing and looked somewhat weak. "This is Jaycie," said Ace, handing him a six-pack of Coke and a bar of unsweetened Baker's chocolate. "Jaycie, this is Elaine."

Elaine spread out her sleeping bag next to Ace's and set her backpack, violin case, and knapsack against the wall. Ace then explained her rules. If you had money, you would give it to her and she would buy stuff for you, as long as it was all legal. She wouldn't steal, and she refused to buy anything illegal. She did the shopping usually three times a week.

"You don't have to shop for me," said Elaine. "I can take care of it myself. Or I can help you with your shopping excursions."

Ace gave her a look. "What's your deal, Elaine?" she demanded.

"I'm just trying to be nice," responded Elaine. "You don't have to bite my ear off, Ace. My instincts tell me that you're a good person and can be trusted, so I'm being friendly to you. Besides, I'm a Christian, and I don't lie, steal, or basically do anything that's against the Ten Commandments and anything else that's frowned upon in the Bible."

Ace sat up straight and gave Elaine a suspicious look. "You're a Christian?"

"Yes, I asked forgiveness for my sins and accepted Jesus into my heart five years ago, when I was twelve. Ever since then I've been doing my best to live a good, Christian life. Do you have a problem with that, Ace?"

"What kind of Christian life?" asked Ace. "I've known some people who said they were Christians and was living a Christian lifestyle, but their behavior said otherwise."

Elaine sighed. "Jesus said to 'Love your neighbor', right? And there's the Golden Rule, 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.' That's what I try to live my life like. I'm not naive, though. I realize that there are people in the world who are wicked or mean or can't be trusted. I'm not going to trust everyone I meet. But I will be polite to those people unless I have no choice but to defend myself or run away. Like what happened with Mr. Drake."

"Who's Mr. Drake?" asked Ace curiously. "And what happened with him?"

"He's the reason I ran away," answered Elaine. "My parents died a month ago in a car accident. As my only relatives lived either in China or Canada, I got sent to a foster home. Mr. Drake was the foster father and tried to have his way with me. It's a good thing I took karate lessons and knew some other methods of self-defense, so I was able to fight him off. Also, Mrs. Drake came in from the back yard and called for him. But I wasn't sure I could fight him off a second time, so I ran away. And I intend to stay hidden until I turn eighteen in a year and two months and can claim the money my parents left me."

"Couldn't you just report what happened to your social worker and get sent to a different foster home?" asked Ace. "Or move to Canada and stay with your relatives there? Or at least get them to help?"

"My maternal grandparents speak only Chinese and a few words of English," snapped Elaine. "Do you think they can help any? And they live in an apartment building for senior citizens, so I couldn't move in with them. As for my aunt and uncle, they've got work and two kids of their own to worry about. I can't just stay in Canada for more than a few months without needing to get a visa, and my relatives can't move to the US. And I don't trust the foster care system all that much now."

"Oh," said Ace. "Well, you can stay with Jaycie and me, Elaine."

"Thanks," said Elaine, smiling. She then glanced at Jaycie and frowned. He had drank two cans of Coke and eaten a few bites of chocolate and it seemed to affect him adversely. She had no idea what someone was like under the influence of drugs, but she couldn't help wondering if Jaycie's reaction to the Coke and chocolate was like someone under drugs. However, caffeine shouldn't be affecting someone like that. "Jaycie, is something the matter?"

"Nothing," murmered Jaycie, taking another swig of Coke.

Elaine stared at him and then rummaged through her backpack. She pulled out a book from the bottom, which was about the Elves of legend and myth. She flipped through it, but couldn't find anything on how caffeine affected Elves. She knew about the affect Cold Iron had on them, but that was it. She then put the book back in her backpack and dismissed the idea that Jaycie was an Elf. After all, Elves didn't exist, whether Bright Court or Dark, other than in fantasy stories. Right?

Ace then took some food from her backpack and offered Elaine some. "Thank you, Ace, but I have some food with me." She looked through the knapsack and took out a pear. "Do you want this? I noticed that you didn't buy any fruit."

Ace took the pear and thanked Elaine, who then took out a peanut butter sandwich and began eating it. After a few minutes, Jaycie stuffed a wad of bills in Ace's hand and then lay down and closed his eyes, apparently to sleep. Ace quickly put the money in her pocket and glaced around to make sure nobody had been watching.

"Where does Jaycie get the money?" asked Elaine in a whisper.

Ace shrugged. "No clue," she replied, also in a whisper. "But he always has money on him. The other kids were taking the money from him until I came along. He didn't fight back, either, when the money was being taken."

Elaine frowned again. She had read that Elves could magically produce just about anything, including money. She sighed and silently told herself, _Elves don't exist, Elaine. They're just a figment of people's imaginations and are a part of some fantasy books._ But she couldn't help feeling that either Jaycie wasn't human, or magic existed and he had the ability to perform it. And she didn't mean sleight-of-hand stuff that people called 'magic'.

"I take it you play the violin, Elaine?" asked Ace in a normal tone of voice.

Elaine looked up, startled. "Oh, yes I do. I've been taking lessons since I was seven. I'm not bragging or anything, but I'm very good on it. At least, that's what my teachers and parents tell me. I intend to get a busking license and make a living that way. If I make more than what's needed to cover my expenses, I'll be happy to share it with you."

"Thank you for the offer, but there's usually enough, thanks to Jaycie," responded Ace.

"But most of it will end up being stuff like burgers, right?" asked Elaine. "I'm sure you'll occasionally want to have some food that's healthier, or drinks that you normally don't buy. So if I have extra money, I don't mind getting healthier food for you."

"Well, I would love to have a cup of coffee," admitted Ace wistfully.

"So if have a few extra dollars, I'll stop at Starbucks or something and buy you a cup," said Elaine. "I'm willing to do this for you because you're a nice person and I want to be your friend. Do you think I'd do this for the other kids staying here?"

Ace snorted. "They'd probably want something stronger than coffee."

"Which I'm not going to provide," said Elaine firmly. "I don't do drugs or alcohol. Besides, I'm not going to be their friend. I wouldn't trust them any farther than I can throw them."

After an hour, in which Elaine read the Bible and Ace one of her books, the two girls went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Elaine took out the four cereal bars that remained in her knapsack. She offered Jaycie one, but he politely refused, and Ace whispered that she had never seen him eat or drink anything other than Coke or chocolate. Elaine frowned, but didn't comment, and offered Ace two cereal bars. Ace accepted and Elaine ate the other two. After that, she transferred most of her clothes from her backpack to the knapsack and then put the knapsack in her sleeping bag. She shouldered her backpack and picked up her violin case.

"I'm going out to see about how I can get a busking license, Ace," said Elaine. "And sell my bike, since I'm not going to have much use for it anymore. See you later, and I promise to bring you a cup of coffee when I return."

"Thanks, Elaine," said Ace, smiling. Ever since she'd run away, she hadn't been friends with anyone, other than Jaycie. Now that Elaine had appeared, Ace felt that she had another friend. It was obvious to her now that her father was not a true Christian. She had suspected, but now she was completely certain after having gotten to know Elaine.

Elaine found a public restroom, where she brushed her teeth and took care of necessary business. Then she went back to get her bike. The lock was tamper free and the only way someone would be able to steal her bike was if they cut the chain. Consulting the map, she was able to locate a pawnshop and she sold her bicycle for sixty dollars. She added it to the money (500) she'd withdrawn from an ATM the day before her escape.

After that, she went to the library and did some research on how to get a busking license. It turned out that to get one, you had to audition. If you were judged to be good enough and paid a small fee, you would then receive one. However, the next audition wouldn't be held for another two weeks. Fortunately, she had more than enough money to last her for a fortnight, and a license wasn't required for busking in the Park. She decided to spend the rest of the morning in the library and read.

At noon, she bought a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice for her lunch and then spent the next three hours scouting out a good place to play when she did get a busking permit. Finally she decided on the subway, where she wouldn't have to deal with the elements, like rain and snow. Now she would just have to make sure not to play where another busker had claimed as his or her spot.

At five o'clock, Elaine stopped at Subways and bought two six-inch subs. Then she stopped at a McDonalds and bought a cup of coffee. After that, she returned to The Place, which was what the building off 110th Street was known as.

"Oh, thank you, Elaine!" exclaimed Ace, taking the cup of coffee and a ham and turkey sub. "You didn't have to buy me dinner to go with the coffee, though."

Elaine shrugged. "Well, I was getting a sub for myself and I thought you could use one too. I wanted to get Jaycie one too, but I wasn't sure if he'd eat it, so in the end I decided against buying one for him." She glanced at Jaycie, who had slowly sat up when she returned.

After dinner, Elaine used her bicycle chain to chain her backpack and violin case to a pipe. She didn't trust the other kids, other than Ace and Jaycie, not to steal her stuff. Though her backpack contained nothing of value, her violin wasn't, and could be sold. She sighed loudly. She could talk for hours on how stealing was wrong and against the Eighth Commandment, but that wouldn't stop other people from doing it. Why couldn't the world be a utopia, where everyone lived in peace and harmony? If everyone was a true believer of the major religions in the world, or at least lived the way the characters on _Sesame Street_ did, then perhaps the world could become a utopia. Well, after the poverty and pollution issues were also dealt with.

Elaine took out _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, her favorite book in the Harry Potter series, and quietly read it out loud to Jaycie, who apparently couldn't read, English at least, and Ace. Ace had never read the Harry Potter books before, for they had been condemned by her parents for being about witchcraft. After Elaine had explained the books, though, Ace understood that there was magic in them, but it was also a struggle between good and evil. Harry Potter and his friends were good, while Voldemort and his followers were evil.

After an hour, Ace took a turn reading so Elaine could rest her voice. An hour after that, the book was put away and Elaine read her Bible, which she did daily. Then she went to bed, one hand on her violin case in order to make sure nobody tried to take out her violin and steal it.

Two days later, there was a problem with one of the other kids living at The Place. He had gotten tired of Ace's rules, and decided to attack Jaycie and try to get some money off him. Ace jumped in front of Jaycie to protect him, while Elaine faced the boy. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her tone of voice icy as a winter storm.

"I'm tired of the stupid rules!" snapped the boy. "And I-"

"Ace's rules are perfectly sensible ones," interrupted Elaine. "And I'm capable to enforcing them."

"Oh really?" asked the boy. "You're just a pathetic girl."

Elaine removed her glasses and set them on her backpack. Then she did one of her karate moves and knocked him to the ground. Though things were blurry, she could still see where things were. The boy got up and charged at her, but she dodged him. Then she stomped on his foot and kicked a knee in his groin. He doubled over in pain.

"I'm not a pathetic girl!" she snapped. "I know how to defend myself, so think twice before you try to start something with me, Ace, or Jaycie again. Please go to your space and don't bother us again."

The boy hobbled away and Elaine put on her glasses again. Ace stared at her. "How can you see to fight him when you're not wearing your glasses, Elaine?"

"I'm not blind without them," answered Elaine. "Things are blurry, but I can still see where they are, Ace. If I aim at someone, I'll hit them unless they dodge or my aim is off."

Three days later, Ace and Elaine met a boy named Magnus, also about their age, on their way back from shopping. Elaine's instincts told her that he was rebellious, but a decent sort, so Ace invited him to stay at The Place. With Magnus joining the trio to make a quartet, things improved more. He also knew how to fight, and so could help Elaine with enforcing Ace's rules.

When a fortnight had passed, Elaine went to get her busking license. Her audition went very well, and she had the money for the fee. There was a small matter with her age, but during her audition, she had thought hard about not having her age being questioned. Somehow, it worked, and she got her permit without the matter of her age being brought up. She wasn't quite sure how that had happened. She had noticed that whenever she played, there was something about her music she couldn't quite name. She would have said it was magic, except that it didn't exist. There was no such thing as Bardic Magic, like in the book _The Lark and the Wren_ by Mercedes Lackey. Also, Elaine wasn't a Bard, like in the old Celtic times.

After that, she found a place in the subway where she could busk and spent her mornings plus lunchtime playing her violin. She made enough to pay for her meals and buy some food for Magnus and Ace. Any extra money she saved and occasionally she would go to a used bookstore and buy a book or two. She bought the first two Harry Potter books plus the fourth one, as well as _The Hobbit_ and the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. She also picked up a book on Elves, and not the kind in Harry Potter or Middle Earth, but on the Sidhe of myth.

Jaycie seemed uncomfortable when Elaine read the book on Sidhe. When she stopped reading, she gave him a look and then decided to try something. She took out her Swiss Army knife, set it next to Jaycie's arm, and then continued rummaging through her backpack and taking out things. Jaycie's hand accidentally brushed against the knife as he sat up and he recoiled. Elaine snatched her knife and put it and the rest of her things back in her backpack. Then she stared at Jaycie, a frown on her face. Sidhe elves simply couldn't exist, but the way he had recoiled was like what they reacted to Cold Iron in books. Well, the knife was part steel, but steel was part iron, so it didn't matter.

The next morning, after Ace and Magnus had left, Elaine spoke with Jaycie. "Are you an elf?" she asked bluntly in a whisper, so nobody else could hear her.

Jaycie gave her a look. "Why do you ask that, Elaine?"

"Because the way you reacted when you touched my Swiss Army knife is like what Sidhe sometimes act when touching or near Cold Iron," responded Elaine. "I'm not going to tell anyone, if you are. Not even Ace and Magnus."

Jaycie hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, I'm an elf."

"I suppose you've got an illusion on that makes you look fully human?" inquired Elaine. "And are you Bright Court or Dark?"

"Dark," admitted Jaycie after some hesitation.

She blinked. "Are you sure? You've never acted like it. I would have taken you for Bright Court."

"I don't like the Dark Court," he said bluntly. "I ran away because I was supposed to be properly trained in my magic."

Elaine blinked again, but didn't press the matter. "I see. I take it then that caffeine also isn't good for Elves? So why do you drink Coke and eat chocolate?"

"Would you prefer for me to be in pain from all the Cold Iron that's in this city?" retorted Jaycie.

Elaine opened her mouth, then shut it again. She nodded thoughtfully. "You have a point. But you should eat and drink less caffeine. What if it eventually leads to you falling in, what's it called, a Dreaming?"

"I'll deal with it, Elaine," said Jaycie firmly.

Elaine looked doubtful, but merely replied, "All right, Jaycie. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone who you really are." Magnus returned then, so she got up and left.

Author's Note: I really don't know too much about the requirements for getting a busking permit in New York City, other than that you have to audition and pay a fee to get one. I tried looking up information on the age requirements and stuff, but I couldn't seem to find any. So in the end I just had Elaine use her unknown bardic magic to ensure that her age wouldn't be asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Elaine woke up and glanced at her watch. It was eight o'clock, and the fifteenth. As it was October, that meant today was her birthday and she was turning seventeen. She sighed. This time last year, she had never thought her parents would be dead, or that she would be celebrating her seventeenth birthday while living on the streets of New York City. Well, at least she wasn't going to be celebrating it alone. Ace, Magnus, and Jaycie were here to celebrate her birthday.

_Would I have been able to put with this for the past two months if I didn't have these three as my friends?_ Elaine wondered. Yes, she had God to help her get through the hard times, but it wasn't as if He could leave Heaven and help her in a human form. Having friends made things easier. After all, the people who had survived the Holocaust had done so mainly because they had relatives or friends with them. All the accounts she had read of survivors had mentioned family and/or friends helping them.

Magnus woke up, yawning and scretching. "Morning, Elaine. What's the time and date?"

"Five past eight," responded Elaine. "And it's October 15th."

"That's your birthday!" exclaimed Magnus. "Happy birthday, Elaine." He then leaned over and shook Ace awake.

When Ace woke up, she wished Elaine a happy birthday as well. Jaycie woke up not long after and also wished Elaine a happy birthday. Magnus opened his backpack and took out a wrapped package. "Your birthday present, from me, Ace, and Jaycie."

"Thank you, guys," said Elaine, grinning. She tore off the newspaper wrapping and revealed the books _Take a Thief_ and _Brightly Burning_, which were from the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, and the latest Redwall book, _Taggerung_, by Brian Jacques.

She set down the books and then hugged her three friends. She was an avid reader, so books were the best present to get her. "You guys are the greatest."

"It's nothing," said Ace. "It's your birthday, and you're our friend, so of course we'd do something for it."

Elaine then left to brush her teeth and use the bathroom. When she returned, Ace and Magnus left and Elaine settled down to read _Take a Thief_. She wasn't going out today to busk, taking a day off because of her birthday.

Ace and Magnus returned an hour later, bearing breakfast from McDonalds and a box with eight cupcakes. Jaycie had a hash brown, for ever since Elaine had confronted him about being an elf, he had started to eat some human food in addition to chocolate and Coke. After breakfast, Ace took out a cupcake and stuck a birthday candle on top. Magnus took out a booklet of matches and lit the candle.

Ace, Magnus, and Jaycie quietly sang 'Happy Birthday to you'. It was the first time that Ace had sung anything since she ran away. Elaine was startled by how beautiful and pure Ace's singing voice was and sensed the something that was in her violin music. Ever since finding out Elves and magic existed, she had wondered if the something in her violin music was actually Bardic magic. Now it appeared that Ace might have magic in music as well, though it took the form of singing.

When the song ended, Elaine felt happier and more hopeful than she had ever been in over three months. She closed her eyes and wished, _I wish that by this time next year, Jaycie, Ace, Magnus, and I will be away from all this and have a better life_. Then she opened her eyes and blew out the candle. Magnus removed the candle and Ace handed him and Jaycie a cupcake before taking one for herself. The four of them slowly ate their cupcakes in silence, enjoying the frosting and sweetness.

Elaine finally broke the silence. "Well, I'll only have to hide out for one more year. As soon as I turn eighteen, I'll claim my inheritance and then rent an apartment somewhere. And you guys are going to join me."

The others smiled wistfully. After a few minutes, Elaine opened _Take a Thief_ and read the first chapter out loud. Ace read the second chapter and Magnus the third. They continued to take turns reading. As they read, they commented on it. The main character, Skif, was sort of like them. He was ill-treated by his uncle and oldest cousin and forced to work at his uncle's inn. However, Skif escaped it all one day when he met an older boy who was a thief and asked to be trained. The boy agreed and took Skif to a small apartment, where a man named Bazie watched over a small gang of boys and taught them about thieving. Most of what was taken were things like napkins and handkerchiefs from the dirty laundry pile, which was then washed, any embroidery picked out, and sold to second-hand cloth dealers. Also, they only stole what was necessary to survive.

"We're sort of like Bazie's gang, aren't we?" asked Magnus. "Except that we don't have an adult leader and we don't steal."

"And we're two girls and two boys, not four or five boys," added Ace.

After the sixth chapter, Magnus shut the book and went out to buy a pizza for lunch, using money Jaycie provided. The other kids that remained in The Place looked jealous when Magnus returned. "Why don't we get pizza?" one of the girls whined.

"If you want pizza, get it yourself," snapped Ace. "It's Elaine's birthday, so the four of us are celebrating."

Jaycie ate one slice of pizza and then drank some Coke. Ace, Magnus, and Elaine divided the rest of the pizza between them. Magnus and Elaine each had a bottle of Mountain Dew, while Ace drank milk, since she didn't care that much for soft drinks.

There were two slices of the large pizza left when they were done, which Elaine decided to give to the girl who complained about not getting pizza. The afternoon was spent in continuing to read _Take a Thief_. At five o'clock, Ace and Elaine went out and got some take-out from a Chinese restaurant, including some noddles. In Chinese culture, eating noodles was customary on your birthday.

After the Chinese food, they had the remaining cupcakes for dessert. A couple of hours after that, they went to bed. Elaine was quite happy. Though her parents weren't alive and she didn't have a proper home, she'd still managed to celebrate her birthday decently with her three best friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Elaine looked up from going through the new sheet music she had bought that day. She needed new songs to play, because she couldn't play classical pieces and the other songs she'd memorized all the time. "What was that about _La Llorona_?"

Magnus sighed and explained what he heard from other street kids. Ace looked slightly worried, and Elaine had a feeling that there was a small grain of truth to the story. However, she couldn't bring herself to really feel afraid. As a Christian, she knew that God would protect her. To quote the Veggie Tales song, "God is bigger than the bogeyman/ He's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on TV/ God is bigger than the bogeyman/ And he's watching out for you and me."

"It's just a story people are telling, right, Magnus?" asked Ace, a frown on her face.

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. The kids talking about it really seemed scared. I guess it could be partly true."

"God will protect us," said Elaine firmly. "Anyway, I suppose that's why you didn't find out about the showers?"

Magnus nodded. "I forgot all about it when I heard the street kids talking about _La Llorona_."

Elaine muttered something in Chinese, then in French (she'd taken French in middle school and part of high school). Ace handed Magnus a burger and made a face at Jaycie gnawing at a thick block of bitter unsweetened candy.

"I can't understand how you can eat that stuff," Ace said, as she always did. "It tastes horrible."

"It's better," Jaycie said simply. "Oh. Here." He held out his hand.

In it was a crumpled wad of bills that would choke a very healthy horse. Magnus swore under his breath and grabbed it—quick, before anyone else in the room saw—and stuffed it quickly into his pocket. They could take it out and count it later.

Ace and Elaine pretended to pay no attention. That was the way to keep a secret, they of them had learned. Pretend nothing was going on, and most of the time people would believe it.

By the time the girls and Magnus had worked their way through the hamburgers and milk, Jaycie had finished two cans of Coke (it was warm, but he didn't seem to mind), most of the block of chocolate, and a hamburger. Sighing contentedly, he wormed his way back down into his sleeping bag and went back to sleep.

Elaine couldn't help frowning. Though Jaycie had been eating some human food for the past couple of months, he still drank Coke and ate unsweetened chocolate. His intake was slightly less, but Elaine was worried that eventually all the caffeine would catch up to him and he'd fall into a Dreaming. He was only a teenager, even if he was an Elf, and caffeine would effect him quicker than an adult Elf. (Or so she assumed, based on an adult's reaction to alcohol and a kid's reaction.)

"That's nothing like a balanced diet," Ace complained to the empty air.

"Who are you, his mother?" Magnus gibed.

"Closest thing he has, right here," Ace shot back without missing a beat. "And . . . I worry about him," she added, dropping her voice, though they knew from experience that Jaycie would neither hear nor care that they were talking about him. There was something very _strange_ about Jaycie, even by the loose standards of the street. Sometimes Ace and Magnus speculated that he'd run away from some weird strict religious commune. "Yeah, I worry about him," she repeated. "Like the money, you know?"

"Oh." Reminded, Magnus dug into his pocket, his body shielding the action from any watchers. He and Ace huddled together, as if they were necking, while they let just enough light show on the wad to make out the numbers. Carefully, they counted the wadded bills.

"Four hundred dollars," Ace said, managing to sound upset and frightened and disgusted all at once. "Where do you suppose he gets it?"

Elaine bit her lip, knowing perfectly well where he got it. Jaycie simply _kenned_ it, or conjured it out of thin air. Unlike in Harry Potter, Elves could conjured money and food, well most food that is. Elaine had asked Jaycie some questions about the Sidhe when Magnus and Ace were out and discovered that there was some foods from certain countries that couldn't be _kenned_. One of them was Chinese food. Like Harry Potter, though, Elves couldn't produce love, life, or information.

Ace pointed out that Jaycie couldn't be mugging people, and Elaine tuned out of the conversation, taking out her violin and practicing a new song, playing quietly so as to not disturb the others. After playing through the song once, with only two mistakes, she set down violin and bow to see that Ace and Magnus were talking about what they wanted.

"A refrigerator and a stove," Ace said yearningly.

Elaine sighed, knowing that Ace enjoyed cooking. She could cook a number of dishes, but she didn't enjoy it the way Ace did. Elaine preferred baking instead. "In eleven months you can have all that, Ace," she said. "I really wish I was a year older. Or that my driver's license and passport said I was born a year earlier." She then looked at Jaycie, thinking of something. Elves should be able to have the magic to alter her date of birth on her records. Her parents' lawyer would be fooled enough by it to hand over her inheritance. But was it something God would approve of?

Elaine sighed again and took out her Bible to reread the Ten Commandants. The one against lying said "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." According to Jesus, your neighbor was everyone, not just someone who lived near you. Elaine had never told falsehoods before, other than polite lies such as pretending to like a present she'd been given. But having her legal documents and such say that she was a year older didn't mean she was telling a lie. It wasn't as if she was saying, "I'm eighteen." Anyone looking at the altered date of birth and could do the math would assume she was eighteen.

If this was against God's words, she could always ask forgiveness for the sin. It wasn't anything truly evil, anyway. If she was thought to be eighteen, she could claim her inheritance and then she and her friends could move to her parents' house. She'd just have to ask her parents' lawyer make sure that the water, electricity, and Internet were turned back on. Then they'd no longer have to stay in The Place and worry about the other kids. And they'd all have everything they wanted.

Elaine put her Bible away, still undecided. She decided to ask Ace and Magnus and see what they thought. "What if there was some way so that my driver's license and other legal documents all said that I was born a year earlier? Then my parents' lawyer would think that I was eighteen and hand over the money and house my parents' left me. If that happened, would you think that it was all right for me to see my parents' lawyer?"

Ace and Magnus exchanged looks. Then Magnus said, "If such a thing could happen, I'd be very happy. Then we can leave this place a year earlier."

Ace nodded. "It's not like you're the one telling the lie. It'd be your birth certificate and stuff that's lying. So if the lawyer assumes that your eighteen, you'll get your inheritance a year early."

"And then the four of us can escape this place," said Elaine slowly. "I'd have to get my parents' house put to rights, in terms of water and electricity and stuff. Then we could move in. And then Jaycie can stop drinking so much Coke and eating chocolate and he won't sleep so much. I think the environment in the suburbs would be much better for him than in the city."

Magnus and Ace looked at Jaycie, who had fallen asleep, and nodded in agreement. Elaine made up her mind. When Magnus and Ace left the next morning, she would ask Jaycie if he could alter the date of birth on her driver's license and passport. Then she'd buy a bus ticket to New Jersey and seek out her parents' lawyer. The license and passport should be enough to convince Ms. Clarkson that Elaine was eighteen and then arrangements would be made to turn over everything to her. Once things had all been arranged, Elaine would buy bus tickets for Jaycie, Magnus, and Ace and move them to the house left to her.

With that all planned out, Elaine resumed practicing her violin.


	5. Chapter 5

Jaycie stared at Elaine. "You want me to change the year of birth on your driver's license and passport, Elaine?"

"Yes, if it's something you can do, Jaycie," said Elaine quietly. "Then I can claim the house and money my parents left me and we can leave this place. My parents' house doesn't have much in the way of Cold Iron except in the kitchen. So as long as you avoid the kitchen and I remove any steel or iron in the other rooms, you'll be fine. Then you can stop taking caffeine."

Jaycie frowned. "I'll do my best." He concentrated on Elaine's driver's license and the birth year changed from 1984 to 1983. Then he focused on the passport and the same thing happened. "Is that right?"

Elaine looked closely at the license and passport and nodded. "It is. Thank you, Jaycie." She stowed them in her backpack, deciding to wait a few days before she actually found her parents' lawyer. She needed to fully plan how to go about it. No doubt her social worker and other authorities knew about her running away and had spent the past few months looking for her. Well, she knew that they wouldn't be looking for her as hard as they would for a much younger minor, but it was still likely that an AMBER Alert had been sent out right after the Drakes reported her disappearance.

After a week, in which Ace went out and found information on the shelter where it was safe to take showers at, Elaine left. She explained to Magnus and Ace that her driver's license and passport now said she was eighteen and she was going to claim her parent's inheritance. She promised to be back within two days.

After an hour long bus and taxi ride, Elaine arrived at the law firm her parents had hired. She went up to the second floor and stopped at the office of Ms. Clarkson. Elaine was extremely nervous, though she knew that she wouldn't be thrown out based on her appearance. She washed herself at public restrooms, and she had been able to go to the shelter yesterday to shower, so her hair was clean. Also, her clothes were clean was well, for every two weeks she took her clothes, as well as Ace's and Magnus's, to a laundromat to be washed.

The secretary frowned at Elaine slightly. "What business do you have here with Ms. Clarkson, young lady?"

Elaine nervously fiddled with the tab on her jacket and said, "I'm Elaine Meng. Ms. Clarkson was my parents' lawyer and I'm here to discuss their will and claim my inheritance." She took her driver's license out her pocket and handed it to the secretary.

"Everything seems to be in order," said the secretary after a moment. She picked up the phone and said, "Ms. Clarkson, Elaine Meng, the daughter of one of your late clients, is here to you."

A few seconds later, the voice of Ms. Clarkson said, "Thank you, Dana, you can send Miss Meng in."

Dana nodded at Elaine. "You can go in."

Ms. Clarkson stood up as Elaine entered and shut the door. "Sit down, Elaine. Now, where have you been? You've suddenly disappeared from the Drake home in August and thought to have run away. Your social worker and the police called me, but I've had no idea about your whereabouts. Your aunt and uncle were called, but they said you weren't with them. Your grandparents are worried sick! And don't get me started on your relatives in China! Your aunt called them about your running away and they've been worried too, at least according to your aunt."

"I've been in New York City," replied Elaine. "I ran away because Mr. Drake tried to have his way with me. I fought him off once, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it a second time, so I left. I've been a busker for the past three months."

"So why are you here to see me?" asked Ms. Clarkson. "And why couldn't you have told your social worker about Mr. Drake? She would have sent you to a different foster home, one where the foster parents wouldn't be like Mr. Drake."

"Do you really think I trust the foster care system after what happened with Mr. Drake?" retorted Elaine. "And I'm here to see you because I'm claiming my inheritance."

"But to do that, you need to be an adult!" protested Ms. Clarkson. "So unless you're eighteen or got yourself emancipated, you can't -"

"Does this settle matters?" interrupted Elaine, handing over her passport and driver's license.

Ms. Clarkson stared at them. "So you turned eighteen in October. Well, that changes things, Elaine. I suppose you can claim the around five hundred thousand dollars your parents left you, along with their house and other possessions, now."

"Good," said Elaine, putting license and passport away. "Can you make sure that the electricty and water are turned back on in the house? And get the Internet connected again? It doesn't matter if you use Comcast or AT & T or whatever, just as long as the Internet service is fast. I want to move back in as soon as possible."

"All right then," said Ms. Clarkson, an eyebrow raised. "And I'm going to have make some other calls letting the authorities know that you are all right and an adult. This is going to take the rest of the day and probably tomorrow to settle, so what do you want to do in the meantime? You can spend the night with me, Elaine."

Elaine thought it over. She had known Ms. Clarkson for the last three years and knew she was a nice person. "I think I'll spend the night with you, Ms. Clarkson."

"All right," said Ms. Clarkson. "I'll arrange things. In the meantime, I'll have Dana drop you off at the library and you can spend the rest of the day there until I come to pick you up after work. Here's twenty dollars for your lunch. There's a couple of fast food restaurants within a few blocks of the library."

The next day, Ace was dismayed when two of the girls brought strangers to The Place. Kayla and Eric seemed nice, but without Elaine and her instincts, Ace wasn't sure. Furthermore, there wasn't supposed to be any new people coming to live because of the risks that everyone would be forced to leave.

As the other kids introduced themselves, Ace and Magnus exchanged looks. "Well, what do we do now?" asked Ace.

Magnus shrugged. "It's not our problem anymore, Ace. Elaine will be back tomorrow and we'll be leaving. I don't know how her driver's license got altered to say that she's born in 1983 instead of 1984, but it looks perfectly legal and unaltered. That lawyer of her parents will surely believe that Elaine's eighteen and turn over her inheritance. We'll be gone within a week."

"Gone?" asked Eric with surprise, having heard the last sentence. He was worried, for Magnus couldn't leave after just being found.

Magnus' eyes narrowed. "What were you doing, listening in to a private conversation?"

"Oh no, I wasn't eavesdropping," said Eric quickly. "I just accidentally overheard your sentence about being gone in a week."

"Yes, we're leaving," said Magnus. "And it's none of your business anymore."

Eric mentally groaned. He couldn't have his brother leave. He tried to think of something to say to get Magnus to stay without sounding as if he was meddling or arouse suspicion, but couldn't. He looked at Kayla, who shrugged. Obviously she couldn't help either.

Elaine appeared the next afternoon. She shook Jaycie awake and then turned to Ace and Magnus. "Pack your things, we're leaving. Ms. Clarkson arranged everything and we can move to my parents' house right now. Come on, the car my parents' left me is waiting a couple of blocks away." She bent down and helped Jaycie up.

Ace and Magnus packed and then followed Elaine and Jaycie towards the stairs. "Hey, where're you guys going?" asked Shimene.

"Leaving this place," said Elaine. "I've finally been able to claim my inheritance and my friends and I are moving to the house my parents left me in New Jersey. You can keep our sleeping bags and the food we've left. Good-bye."

She led the way to a silver car parked three blocks away. Ace and Magnus put their things in the trunk and then Ace and Jaycie got in the back seat while Magnus sat next to Elaine, who was driving. Luckily, the car had very little in the way of Cold Iron, so Jaycie wasn't affected.

After an hour and a half, they pulled into a driveway. Elaine parked the car in the garage and shut the door. "Okay, we're here. The water and electricity have all been turned back on, so you can shower. I already took one this morning at Ms. Clarkson's home. I also did some grocery shopping so you can cook dinner for us, Ace. While you guys settled in, I'm going to be some -house-cleaning. There's lots of dust, and the carpets need to be vacuumed."

Elaine unlocked the door and led her friends up to the second floor. "Ace, you can have my parent's room, since I can't exactly have you share mine. There's only one bed, for one thing. Magnus and Jaycie, you can take your pick of the two guest rooms."

Jaycie selected one room and Magnus took the other. "There's a bathroom off the master room," Elaine told Ace. "Magnus and Jaycie, the other bathroom is between my room and Magnus's. And the bathroom downstairs has a shower. There's towels in that closet over there. I'm going to do the dusting now."

By the time Jaycie, Ace, and Magnus had finished their showers and settled in their rooms, the house was noticeably cleaner. Ace went downstairs and prepared dinner with some help from Elaine (who'd put all the dishes in the dishwasher that morning to be washed and did the same with the pots and pans upon returning). Ace reveled in the kitchen and thoroughly enjoyed herself. When dinner was done cooking, Magnus expressed his surprise, for he didn't know that Ace liked to cook.

Ace shrugged. "Well, I do like it. Don't touch that chicken, Magnus! Go set the dining room table. Then you can eat."

"Wait, don't use the silverware!" exclaimed Elaine. "It's made of stainless steel. Jaycie doesn't do so well around iron and steel. Here, set out these chopsticks and plastic utensils."

Magnus blinked, but did as told. Ace frowned, but didn't comment either. As soon as the table was set, Ace and Elaine brought out the dishes of food and four bowls of rice and Magnus called Jaycie down. Now that they were no longer in New York City and surrounded by Cold Iron, Jaycie looked better. He didn't look quite so pale or tired. He sat down and blinked as he realized that the spoons and forks were plastic. He then looked at Elaine, knowing that she was the one who had thought of it.

Once everyone was seated, Elaine said grace. "I thank you, Lord, for providing me with a way so that we could all escape and have a better life. I also thank you for the bounty we are about to receive. Amen."

The other three repeated the 'Amen' and then began serving themselves. "How do you use chopsticks, Elaine?" asked Ace. "When we had the Chinese food on your birthday, we used plastic spoons and forks. Well, you didn't, but the rest of us did."

Elaine demonstrated and the four of them enjoyed a very delicious supper. After, Magnus volunteered to wash the dishes and clear the table, as the girls had cooked. The girls packed up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator and Elaine said she'd fry the leftover rice tomorrow.

After that, as the Internet was connected again, Elaine let Magnus into the study so he could use the computer then. Ace and Jaycie decided to spend the evening watching the television and Elaine went up to her room to use her computer. Everything was perfect for the time being.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days later, Ace and Elaine were washing the breakfast dishes when the doorbell rang. Ace jumped in surprise and dropped the cup she was drying. It fell to the floor and broke into several pieces. Elaine sighed. "The broom and dustpan are in that closet, Ace. I'll go answer the door."

She looked through the peephole and saw that Ms. Clarkson was standing on the porch. Elaine was surprised that the lawyer was coming to see her, but opened the door. "Hello, Ms. Clarkson," she said warily. "Why are you here?"

"Just checking to see how things are going," responded Ms. Clarkson. "May I come in?"

"Sure," said Elaine, stepping aside. She shut the door and turned to the living room, but Ms. Clarkson was looking at the study.

"Who is that boy?" she asked. "A friend of yours, Elaine?"

"Um, yeah," said Elaine, realizing that it might not be such a good idea after all to have let Ms. Clarkson in.

Ms. Clarkson nodded and headed for the kitchen, where Ace was dumping the pieces of cup in the wastebasket. "And who is she, Elaine?" asked Ms. Clarkson. "Another friend of yours?"

"Er, yes," said Elaine uncomfortably.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to be telling anyone about your friends, Elaine. But you could tell me their names."

"Magnus is the one in the study and this is Ace," answered Elaine. "And there's another boy named Jaycie, who's upstairs."

"I suppose you met them in New York City, became friends with them, and after getting your inheritance, had them move in with you?" asked Ms. Clarkson. "Ace, sit down and stop looking so worried. I'm not going to turn you or the other two over to the authorities. The three of you must have had good reason to run away and live on the streets."

Ace did sit down, but still kept nervously fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Ace, it's all right," said Elaine. "Ms. Clarkson's nice and trustworthy."

"Yes, but I need you to explain something, Elaine," said Ms. Clarkson. "How did you get a driver's license and passport that said you're a year older than you really are? Yesterday I came across a copy of your birth certificate in my files and it said your birth year was really 1984. I called your old high school to ask about your records there and the secretary confirmed it."

Elaine paled, not expecting this complication. She looked at Ace for help, but she was also pale and had no answers. "I -" began Elaine futilely. She swallowed and tried again. "Ms. Clarkson, I -"

"I'm not going to say anything," said Ms. Clarkson firmly. "You'd just be sent to a foster home and I know you don't want that. You and your friends can stay here quite happily and I'm not going to put your inheritance back into trust until you turn eighteen. Unless you want me to help you file for emancipation, the truth won't be revealed. But I do want you to explain about the license and passport, Elaine."

Elaine really couldn't explain, at least not the truth. Nobody would believe that Jaycie was an Elf and used his magic to alter the year of birth on the license and passport. Well, Ace and Magnus would, if Jaycie dropped his Glamour and demonstrated the magic he could do. But Ms. Clarkson was another matter. Finally Elaine replied, "I can't tell you, Ms. Clarkson."

"I'm not going to tell anyone what you say, Elaine," said Ms. Clarkson. "I swear on the Bible."

Elaine sighed. "It's not that. I can't tell you because you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," said Ms. Clarkson. "Or are you saying that magic was involved?" There was a pause and she nodded. "That confirms it. So you used magic to alter your documents."

Elaine stood up. "I'm going to go get Magnus and Jaycie." She told Magnus to go the kitchen and then went upstairs to Jaycie's room. She knocked on the door and when Jaycie told her to enter, she did so. "Jaycie, what do I do? Ms. Clarkson, you know, the lawyer, is here to see me. She's keeping her mouth shut about everything, but she does want to know about the altered year of birth on my driver's license and passport. She discovered my real year of birth, you see. Anyway, I can't tell her the truth because I promised not to reveal who you really are, but she guessed that magic is involved. So what do I do?"

Jaycie set the notebook he'd been writing on the dresser and frowned in thought. "I don't know. You say that Ms. Clarkson isn't going to tell on us?"

Elaine nodded. "She's trustworthy and everything. But I don't know if she should know about Elves. Magnus and Ace are different, because they're our friends."

Jaycie considered. "I suppose we can tell her the truth. If Ms. Clarkson reacts badly to the news, I can make her forget it." He got up from the bed and followed Elaine downstairs to the kitchen.

Ace started and Magnus was wide-eyed when they saw Jaycie, for he'd taken off the glamour and looked like an Elf. Ms. Clarkson, on the other hand, merely raised an eyebrow and asked, "Bright Court or Dark, Jaycie?"

"Dark," replied Jaycie, taken aback by her reaction to who he was.

Ms. Clarkson raised a hand, then lowered it. "If you're friends with Elaine, then I assume that even though you are Dark Court, you're nice. By the way, I've been reading fantasy since the age of ten and so I've read stuff on the Sidhe of myth. I've always suspected that they could be real, since I know magic exists."

The four stared at her and Ms. Clarkson explained about Guardians and the fact that she was one. Elaine was able to accept it, but Magnus and Ace had more difficulty. Finally Ms. Clarkson said, "Please don't go spreading this around. Of course, most people wouldn't believe you, but it's still best that you don't tell anyone about Guardians. Now, would you be so kind as to tell me why you three ran away from your homes? Prehaps I can help you."

Magnus went first. "My parents just want to use me to become great. They made me learn piano and hope that I can be a famous pianist. I'd much rather play the drums and be part of a rock band or something. Finally my parents got to be too controlling and I couldn't stand being under their thumb anymore, so one day I just left."

Ace went on to tell about her father, the Reverend Billy Fairchild, his ministry, her singing talent, and how it had been used to make her father's ministry grow and make him rich. She finally concluded with Gabriel Horn, who had started working for her father last year, and was the reason that she'd finally run away.

"He's not a Christian!" exclaimed Elaine when Ace was done. "Your father twists the word of God to suit him and he certainly doesn't follow the teachings of Jesus. He's almost as bad as those extremists in the Middle East who claim to be Muslims but aren't following the Koran at all and twist things so they can kill innocents. Like with the attacks on the Twin Towers."

Ms. Clarkson nodded. "Your father certainly isn't a good person, Ace. And really, what was he thinking, naming you Heavenly Grace? If he wanted to name you after a virtue, he should have stuck with just 'Grace'. I wish I could find your father and give him a piece of my mind. I don't claim to be a good Christian, but I'm certainly a better one than him! Jaycie, you're next."

Jaycie said his father didn't really pay much attention to him and he ran away because he was supposed to start being trained in magic and he was scared of it. He was also afraid that it would bring his father's attention on him, who could then use him.

Ms. Clarkson sighed. "Well, there's not much I can really do. Magnus, I don't completely approve of why you ran away, but then again, I never had parents who tried to mold me into their image of a perfect daughter. Mine did want me to go to medical school, but didn't mind when I chose to go to law school instead. However, if I were in your shoes, I suppose I wouldn't have stood it either and would have run away too. I'd help you file to be emancipated, Magnus, but your parents would just fight it and work to get you back, so that's out of the question. You'll just have to stay here until you're eighteen."

"Emancipated?" asked Ace.

"That's when a minor is declared to be an adult," explained Ms. Clarkson. "I would do the same for you, Ace, but I think your parents would also contest it. I don't exactly have a number of higher-up connections to stop your parents, and it would be unethical of me to use magic to control their minds so that they allowed you to be emancipated. I can do it for you, Elaine, because you don't have parents or guardians to object, and your relatives probably would allow it."

"I'll think about it, Ms. Clarkson," said Elaine.

"Faith," said Ms. Clarkson. "That's my first name, and I would like the four of you to use it, if I'm going to help you and become your friend. Or you can see me as an older sister. I'm only twelve years older than you guys."

"All right, Ms. - I mean Faith," said Ace.

Ms. Clarkson, or rather Faith, stood up. "I've got to go now. I have a client to meet this afternoon and I need to get everything ready. Call me if you need help and I'll drop by at least once a week to make sure you're all right." The four teens walked her to the front door and bid her good-bye.

After she was gone, Ace and Elaine finished doing the dishes and discussed the events of the past hour with Jaycie and Magnus. Jaycie apologized about hiding the fact that he was an elf, which Ace and Magnus were understanding about. Elaine explained how she'd found out that Jaycie was an elf and that she had promised him to not reveal it without permission.


	7. Chapter 7

Eric groaned, wishing that he didn't have to hear such news so soon after his recovery. "So Magnus is gone," he said heavily.

Kayla nodded. "That's what Shimene and the others said. He, Ace, and Jaycie left with their friend Elaine. From what was told to me, Elaine came of age, claimed her inheritance, and took her friends to live with her in New Jersey. I don't know the exact location, but Shimene did tell me that Elaine once said she was from a suburb of Newark."

"I guess that once I can leave the hospital, we'll have to go the Newark area and look for Magnus and his friends there," sighed Eric.

"Yep," said Kayla, not looking very happy at all.

Miles away, Faith Clarkson was at the Meng home, weaving spells of protection on it and getting to know Ace, Magnus, and Jaycie better. The three liked the lawyer, who treated them like adults and was very nice to them. They'd also discovered that she was a brillant person. Having skipped a grade in middle school, Faith had ended up graduating high school at the age of seventeen, as salutatorian of her class. Then she had attended Harvard, graduating in three years instead of four, at the age of twenty. Then she'd gone on to law school at Yale and passed the bar at the age of twenty-two. She had worked for a top law firm for almost three years before setting up her own practice. Faith had won all the cases she'd taken on, except for two, and those had been when the clients were obviously guilty and she was merely court-appointed to defend them.

When it was five o'clock, the lawyer took out her cell phone. "Let me order dinner and we can continue this conversation. Unless you want to cook, Ace."

Ace considered, then said, "We can order dinner. I can take a break from cooking." Faith nodded and after general consensus, ordered a large pizza from Pizza Hut. The conversation resumed, only stopping when the pizza arrived. Faith paid for it, tipped the delivery person, and then brought it to the kitchen.

A few days later, Eric was on his computer, looking for information on the Mengs. He finally came up with an old article from a newspaper in the Newark area, about how Dr. and Mrs. Meng had been killed by a drunk driver. Toward the end of the article was a sentence of how Faith Clarkson, lawyer for the Mengs, had been hired to prosecute the driver. Another search came up with the business address for Ms. Clarkson. The next day, Eric and Kayla set out to speak with the lawyer.

Dana Williams, the secretary, raised her brow when Eric and Kayla walked in. "Do you have an appointment with Ms. Clarkson?" she asked.

"No, but we would like to speak with her," answered Eric. "It's very important business."

Dana considered for a moment and then nodded. She pressed the intercom button and said, "Faith, you have two people that would like to see you."

A few seconds later, a voice replied, "You can send them in, Dana. Thanks."

Dana pointed Kayla and Eric to the door behind her, looking suspiciously at them as she did so. Like Faith, she could practice magic, but wasn't a Guardian. However, she often took over if Guardian duties would interfere with a case that Faith was working on.

"Hello," said Faith pleasantly when Kayla and Eric walked in. "Please sit down. Now, why are you here to see me?"

"We wanted to know about Elaine Meng," replied Kayla. "And could you tell us her address?"

"Why do you want to know that?" demanded Faith sharply. "She's perfectly fine and I would like her not to be bothered. Who are the two of you?"

"I'm Eric Banyon," responded Eric. "And she's Kayla Smith."

Faith abruptly got to her feet. "I don't know how the two of you got into my office, but I would like you to leave immediately. You will get no information from me regarding Ms. Elaine Meng or anyone else." When she saw that Eric and Kayla weren't moving, she snapped, "Get out or I'll call the police!"

Eric sighed and started to work a little Bardic magic to get Faith to be a little more welcoming of them. However, he'd only gotten as far as the first few notes when he was stopped. "Don't think you can work Bardic magic on me," said Faith icily. "I am quite able to defend myself. Explain to me how you were able to get past my wards, Bard, before I throw you and your friend out."

"Wards?" asked Eric, blinking in surprise.

"Yes!" retorted Faith. "I have wards on my office that keeps anyone that intends harm from entering, or at least warn me if such a person or being attempts to enter. You have somehow gotten around them. Though since you're a Bard, I suspect that you used Bardic magic to trick my wards into thinking you and Ms. Smith were harmless."

"We don't mean you any harm," said Eric. "And I didn't do anything to your wards. In fact, I had no idea that you even had them until you mentioned it."

"Then kindly explain to me exactly why you're here, Mr. Banyon, and not just to find out where Elaine is."

"I'm looking for my brother, Magnus," answered Eric. "I heard that he was living with Elaine and two other friends. Well, my parents wanted a prodigy child, and was bringing me up that way. When I was eighteen, however, an incident happened that caused me to leave Julliard and escape my parents. I later had my Bardic powers trained and eventually returned to Julliard. Last month, I decided to see my parents and that's when I found out about Magnus. Actually, they had no idea I was their older son, and assumed I was the detective they'd hired to look for my brother. In any case, I was able to figure out what happened. Having lost me, my parents apparently decided to have another prodigy child. Like me, Magnus obviously had enough and ran away. Kayla and I were able to trace his whereabouts to New York City, where I live. We found him living with a number of other runaways, but an accident prevented me from pursuing the matter. By the time I recovered, Magnus was gone and the other runaways had told Kayla that he had gone to live with Elaine and their two other friends in New Jersey, in the Newark area. I did some research and found out your connection with Elaine. That's why we're here."

Faith nodded and sat back down. "I believe you, Mr. Banyon. But please explain one thing for me. As you're eighteen or nineteen years older than your brother, you should be around thirty-four. However, you look like you're twenty-five. While I realize that people can look young for their age, you shouldn't look ten years younger. So how do you look so young?"

Eric exchanged a look with Kayla. He could hardly tell the lawyer the truth, which was that he had spent a few years Underhill with the Seleighe elves and so hadn't aged. "Call me Eric," he said. "As for why I look so young, it's magic."

Faith snorted. "I know _that_. I want to know what that magic is, Eric. You can tell me the complete truth. I'm not going to go telling others, you know. And call me Faith."

He hesitated, then said, "Well, do you know about Elves, Faith? I don't mean the kind in _Lord of the Rings_. I mean the -"

"If you're talking about the Sidhe, yes, I know about them," interrupted Faith. "I've read the stories about them. I take it then that you spent a considerable amount of time Underhill, probably to be trained in your magic, and because of the timelessness there, didn't age as you would have in the World Above." Seeing Eric gape at her, she added, "I'm not an idiot, Eric. And you know Jaycie, right?" At his nod, she continued, "Well, he's an Elf. Unseleighe, but not at all evil. From what he told me, it seems he ran away because he was afraid of having to learn how to use his magic. The Big Apple seemed to him the best place to escape to, though to deal with all the Cold Iron there he poisoned himself on Coke and chocolate. If Elaine hadn't claimed her inheritance when she did and taken Jaycie away, he most likely would have died or something equally bad."

Kayla shuddered and Faith turned her attention to the young Healer. "Please tell me something of yourself, Ms. Smith. I assume you have some knowledge of magic."

Kayla nodded. "Just call me Kayla. I'm a Healer." She went into a little more detail, and explained how she came to know Eric. When she was done, the lawyer got up.

"All right then. The two of you come with me. I'll take you to Elaine's house and let you explain things." With that, Faith left the office, Kayla and Eric following. The three then set out for the Meng house.


End file.
